I Landed a Real Boss

"Don't copy everything you see online. It might not suit you."

Yan Qingdu raised a hand and ruffled Ye Yizhou's hair. "Everyone has their own distinct qualities. A poor imitation will only backfire and leave you looking neither one thing nor the other."

Ye Yizhou pressed his lips together without a word, his expression a little grave.

Had he been too harsh? Had he hurt Ye Yizhou's feelings?

Yan Qingdu silently considered his words. Some people had indeed told him before that he didn't phrase things nicely enough, that his words cut straight to the heart, and that he ought to change.

Yan Qingdu hadn't cared before, but things were different now.

Other people were one thing, but his own partner still needed a little sweet-talking.

"Sorry, I..."

"I think you're absolutely right. Oh, what were you about to say?"

Ye Yizhou and Yan Qingdu happened to speak at the same time.

Ye Yizhou finished in one breath. Not having caught what Yan Qingdu had said, he looked at him questioningly.

"Nothing now." Yan Qingdu chuckled.

His partner was well versed in playing innocent to get the upper hand. He wasn't as fragile as Yan Qingdu had imagined.

Still, that pretty face was very deceptive. It made people go soft despite themselves.

Yan Qingdu waited for Ye Yizhou to finish breakfast, then washed the coffee cup and the plate that had held the sandwich and put them away before getting ready to leave.

Yan Qingdu sat on the bench in the entryway and changed into his leather shoes. He stood, habitually straightened his suit, and turned to look at Ye Yizhou, who stood obediently beside him, ready to see him out.

"The car keys are here. If you go out to have fun, it'll be more convenient to drive yourself."

Yan Qingdu tapped his long fingers on the console table, indicating the spot so Ye Yizhou could find them more easily when he needed them.

Ye Yizhou nodded.

Yan Qingdu took a black card from his suit's inner pocket and handed it to Ye Yizhou. "This is my supplementary card. There's no limit."

Ye Yizhou took the black card, his eyes sparkling. He covered his mouth with both hands and gave a quiet, exaggerated squeal of surprise. "Aaaaah! I landed a real boss!"

Watching his partner's rather over-the-top performance, Yan Qingdu quietly let him carry on without spoiling the fun. He was simply adorable.

"This faithful believer has been vegetarian all his life. I deserve to be eating this well now."

Ye Yizhou pressed his palms together and closed his eyes, his tone devout.

After speaking, Ye Yizhou secretly opened one eye to check Yan Qingdu's expression, only to meet his smiling gaze. He instantly broke character and laughed.

"I'm heading out."

Only after indulging Ye Yizhou's antics was Yan Qingdu finally ready to leave.

"Wait." Ye Yizhou stepped forward and caught Yan Qingdu's sleeve.

Yan Qingdu turned back to look at Ye Yizhou. "What is it?"

"Other newlywed husbands aren't this cold when they leave home." Ye Yizhou tilted his head up and stared straight at Yan Qingdu.

Yan Qingdu was silent for a while and didn't move.

Ye Yizhou released his grip on Yan Qingdu's sleeve.

They weren't actually in a romantic relationship, after all. It was perfectly normal not to have these little rituals of intimacy.

Understandable.

Ye Yizhou pouted, still feeling a little wronged.

"Go on, go on. Bye." Ye Yizhou didn't intend to make things difficult for Yan Qingdu. His goodbye was crisp and decisive, and he lowered his head to look at his toes, though his voice sounded a little dejected.

Yan Qingdu coaxed him softly. "Don't be upset."

Ye Yizhou abruptly raised his head, unable to hide the surprise and delight in his eyes. Still, he kept enough sense to lightly bite his lower lip, trying hard to keep the corners of his mouth from rising as he inwardly scolded himself: You hopeless fool!

"It's not that I'm unwilling. I was just trying to understand. I'm learning too."

Yan Qingdu bent slightly and lightly kissed Ye Yizhou on the lips. Remaining bent toward him, he asked earnestly, "Will this make you happy?"

"Yes!"

The corners of Ye Yizhou's mouth lifted as he nodded vigorously, his ink-dark eyes turning clear and bright.

"All right. I understand." Yan Qingdu nodded solemnly.

Yan Qingdu sat in the car and fastened his seat belt. His hand had just settled on the steering wheel when the scene at the door replayed in his mind.

The radiant smile on Ye Yizhou's face had made his heart tremble.

It was as though his partner really liked him.

But he was most likely flattering himself.

Still, since they had already registered their marriage, making his partner happy was his responsibility and duty. When Ye Yizhou smiled, his own mood improved along with it.

The feeling wasn't bad at all.

Yan Qingdu started the car and drove out of the parking garage. Not long afterward, Ye Yizhou drove away too.

"Why are you home again today?"

The moment Ye Yizhou got home, he discovered that Ye Chongli was actually still there at this hour and couldn't help launching into criticism:

"What's wrong with you? How are you supposed to make money when you only work on and off?"

"What the hell do you know? If I went to work every day and made every decision myself, what would be the point of spending all that money hiring all those professional managers?"

Ye Chongli shot back without the slightest restraint and said irritably, "Mind your own business. Stay out of your dad's affairs."

"You think I want to bother with you? I'm just worried that if you make less money, it'll affect the quality of my life sponging off you! Hmph."

Ye Yizhou looked every inch the idle, spoiled young heir, and he was especially shameless about it.

Wonderful.

That remark successfully earned Ye Yizhou an eye roll from Comrade Ye Chongli, accompanied by an attack with a throw pillow.

Ye Yizhou casually sidestepped, successfully dodged the pillow, and went straight upstairs.

Before long, Ye Yizhou came back down. He broke a banana off the bunch and sat on the sofa, propping both legs on the coffee table in front of him as he ate and asked:

"Mom's not home?"

"Your mom went to play mahjong with her girlfriends."

"Oh."

Ye Yizhou nodded without saying anything else, humming a tune in a good mood.

Ye Chongli, however, sensed something odd in all this. Even the way he looked at Ye Yizhou turned strange. "What did you come back for today? You've been coming home so often these past couple of days that it's scaring me."

Ye Yizhou: ?

"I left something here. I came back to get it."

Ye Yizhou answered Ye Chongli's question while also expressing his displeasure with some of his remarks. "Is that something a biological father should say? I, your darling youngest son, rarely come home, and I already let it slide that you didn't welcome me with thunderous drums and gongs and firecrackers going off. What the hell are you scared of?"

"My instincts as your biological father tell me you've been acting very strange lately."

Ye Chongli frowned and looked at Ye Yizhou with a serious expression as he spoke.

He had to admit that his old man was pretty perceptive.

"Are you possessed?"

Ye Chongli abruptly sprang up from the sofa, clutching a string of prayer beads and striking a fighting pose. "Demons and monsters, leave my son's body at once!"

Ye Yizhou: ...

It was pretty clear who he'd inherited his flair for drama from.

Ye Yizhou struggled to keep smiling. He lowered his legs from the coffee table, stood up, and began unfastening his shirt cuffs and rolling up his sleeves.

"You want a fight, huh!"